The present invention relates to a dough forming machine, and in particular to a bagel dividing and forming machine which forms circular rolls from dough pieces, such as bagels. The invention provides an improvement to such a machine.
Machines for dividing and forming bagels are known. In such a machine, a motor driven circulating looped belt is provided with a horizontal top surface. The belt is wrapped around an idler drum and a drive drum. At a first end of the machine, a pressure plate having a downward arcuate surface toward the belt is provided, slightly elevated from a top surface of the belt. When an incremental amount of dough is placed onto the belt, the belt carries the dough beneath the pressure plate which causes the incremental amount of dough to roll and elongate into a solid cylinder shape. At approximately the mid-span of the top surface of the belt is arranged a forming tube having an inside diameter sized to provide a forward bagel with a desired outside diameter size. A mandrel with an outside diameter sized to provide an appropriate size center hole of the bagel is mounted axially through the forming tube.
The lateral edges of the belt are wrapped upward into a circular shape corresponding to the inside diameter of the forming tube, the belt passing through the forming tube while in the circular shape and once is exiting the forming tube, the belt flattens back down into a flat horizontal profile. Before returning to the first end of the assembly, the belt extends above a rotary table which receives the formed product which drops off the belt.
The forming tube typically comprises two half circular sections with a seam located on a top side of the tube. Such a device is shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,229.
Prior known machines have parts which complicate the manufacture of the machine. Typically, the pressure plate is manufactured of metal bent into the desired shape. The machine provides a platform beneath the top surface of the belt which is recessed in the region of the forming tube to allow the tube to be hingedly opened for cleaning and insertion of a new belt, or replacement of the tube. This recess adds to the manufacturing cost and complexity of the machine. Additionally, prior machines required two motors, one for circulating the belt via the drive roll and a second motor for turning the rotary table.